


Way Back In

by meleep



Category: Persona 3, Persona 4
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-19
Updated: 2015-03-19
Packaged: 2018-03-18 13:40:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3571688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meleep/pseuds/meleep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A small exploration into the 2 characters. Chidori assists Junpei in understanding the effects of his father's behavior and how it affects who he wants to be as a person. P3 au I guess...it's supposed to take place in lieu of the confrontation Chidori has with Junpei in the P3 manga</p>
            </blockquote>





	Way Back In

A faint line was dragged across the page - then erased. Once more, then erased again. Chidori gripped her pencil and grunted. How on earth could something as a flower petal be difficult? Sure the lighting was a little less than ideal but it was just a sunflower. The setting sun flirted with the way the light fell onto the flowers, constantly changing. Her eyes drifted towards the flower's companions, looking for an easy way out. Another angle or another subject or just anything. Frustrated, she went back to darkening the lines of the flower's stalk, letting her hair drape around her and focus her vision on the paper, the lines and nothing else.

" _Hee~eey_ Chidorit- _ey_!"

She recognized that attempt at a nickname and immediately lost focus. Maybe a small distraction could be just what she needed, anyway.

"Junpei," she greeted him matter-of-factly, taking note of irregular steps he took towards her. Stumbling. The artificial light of the lamp post painted Junpei's face with shadows she'd not normally seen on his face in the bright of day.

Junpei sat down next to her, falling with a quick collapse. She watched him regain his grip of the short concrete wall. It was almost as if Junpei was more obnoxious than usual tonight. Why couldn't he just sit normally?

“It’s good - that _you’re_ here.” he fumbled with the brim of his hat, tracing a finger along the edge in apparent thought. “I mean you’re _usually_ here, but that doesn’t change the sentiment.”

Chidori laid down her pencil and flipped her sketchbook to a close. Her full attention was brought to the strong smell that now lingered around the both of them.  “I could report you right now, you know.” Toxic as it was to the nose, alcohol wafted around Junpei’s breath, causing alarm to arrest Chidori.

“Hey what? It’s no big deal just...a thing. Not - ” he couldn’t reasonably respond in this state.

“What kind of leader does stupid kinds of things like this?” Chidori adjusted herself to face Junpei, forcing herself to fully take in the smell. Upon closer investigation, the scent of body odor mixed with remnants of deodorant plagued the immediate air as well. She cringed, finding herself disgusted at the sight and smells that laid before her. With a sneer she continued, “I had you painted for someone with a sense of responsibility.”

“It’s just for funpeople do it for funmy _dad_ does it for fun.” his intonation rose at the mention of his father. Chidori could tell he was just grasping at excuses by the way he spoke. His words were rapid, slurred and repetitive. But the word ‘dad’ was different. Junpei brought out a small bottle of liquid - akin to a metal flask. He brought it to his mouth and slumped down, releasing the flask onto the ground.

“What is that?” Chidori held back an exclamation. She pushed down any hint of concern. Her body became enveloped in heat. Why was it that she has suddenly so self-righteous about illegal substances? It was only in her bag that the suppressants laid. So casually, so simple. Those made sense to her. Medea would try to claw her way out of her with an empty lust to kill and with a simple pill the wounds would dissipate. Those pills were to key to her solace. Illegal, but absolutely necessary.

Junpei, however? Why?

“Does it matter?” His position obscured a twisted expression with an encompassing shadow. But there were no shadows that could hide what Junpei was really trying to say. He pointed down towards the flask on the ground. He kicked it over and it revealed a set of initials. “It’s Dad’s.”

“And here I’d thought a great hero like you would be above petty theft.” Chidori scoffed, not thinking about the consequences of her attitude, barely even registering the letters of the initials.

“Shut up!” Junpei yelled. “It’s not like he’ll miss it. He’s got plenty of that shit at home!”

“It’s not a matter of deprivation - you’re acting like a criminal.” Chidori lectured.

“How would you even know what - ? What do you know? It’s not like I wanted to - ”

“ - then why did you?” Chidori interrupted.

A long silence crept in between them. Junpei ceased to make any retorts. The night was filled with sounds of reasoning. A few grunts, sighs every now and then. Chidori knew she had for once made Junpei stop and think about what he’d say next. In waiting for his response, she brought her sketchbook back into her bag and the pencil into it’s appropriate holder. Now that she’d finally gotten him to his senses - or at the least acting a little less nosy than usual - it was her cue to head home. A headache spread across her temples from the smell. Hopefully it was just the smell anyway.

“Escape.” he mumbled.

“Hmm?” Chidori rubbed her forehead. What stupid excuse was he going to try to shoehorn in this time?

“He does it. It’s a coward’s way out. But it works.” Junpei stretched himself out, extending his limbs. A visible shudder shook his body. His eyes closed and a smile graced his face. He lunged towards Chidori’s bag and grabbed the strap. She pulled back and reached for the chain of her hatchet.

“He escapes it. Everything. He’s numb to it all! The pain, lies. It’s an amazing feeling. No one can take you back there. No one can hurt you.”

Chidori let her fist unclench as Junpei rambled. As scattered as his words were, it made sense to her - at least in the vague portion of Junpei’s drunken musings. A strange rush of compassion overtook her in the idea of ‘there’ It didn’t need clarification, it was a dark place - much like the moment of thrusting an evoker right between her eyes in full knowledge that Medea would materialize, just waiting for the opportunity to break free from Chidori’s will and destroy her. ‘There’ was the invoking of the end of her life. The moment when all the delaying would become utterly worthless.

“It’s like - perfect. It’s everything and nothing at once.”

“I don’t follow.” Chidori was lost, distracted by her own definition.

“I talk big to you, yeah. I’m nothing special in reality. A fucking loser, really. How could anyone like me lead anyone?” Junpei said with a flourish of his hand. Nothing but a physical distraction to coax Chidori’s attention from the fact that his voice was breaking.

“Damn - I swore I wouldn’t do this. ” he rested his face in his palms, causing his hat to lift off his head briefly. “ ‘m a piece of shit...”

“Mm.” Chidori simply made a complacent noise.

“What? All you have to say is ‘mm’..?” he scoffed at her reaction. Maybe he was expecting her to say something compassionate or insulting or anything, but...nothing? It was the most natural reaction Chidori could bring herself to express. Anything more wouldn’t make sense to her.

“The only saving grace I have in my life is a complete lie and all you have to say is ‘mm’?!” his voice began to rise, his frustration apparent by the way he threw his arms out, beckoning Chidori to give him an explanation.

She said nothing.

“Unbelievable.” he kicked the flask out into the darkness.

Chidori watched the flask clatter out of sight before saying, “you could be a piece of shit.” her tone was agreeable, almost trying to confirm what Junpei was saying.

“Great, thanks. Your vote of confi- ”

He was cut short by Chidori, “- but you could also rise above it.”

She watched him stare at her, following the trail of confusion that rattled inside Junpei’s brain. He fumed - turning his confusion into frustration once again.

“Now I don’t follow.” he said, exasperated.

“If you really think you’re the type of person to take the easy way out, fine.” Chidori heard the hypocrisy slithering into her words. She herself was taking the ‘easy way out’. Who was she to even lecture Junpei on this in the first place? How was she even going to rise above her situation? Was it even possible?

“Hu-h-hey now. How do you even know what kind of person I am?” Junpei asked defensively.

“I don’t. You lied to me.” Chidori replied casually.

“Well don’t start thinking I’m a wuss or anything - ‘cause I’m not.” Junpei sighed defeatedly, presumably not even going to argue with her over the fact that he’d lied to her.

“What does it matter what I think of you?”

“That’s - !” Junpei stopped before saying anything more. He’d put his hand over his mouth. Chidori had picked up on what he was trying to express and felt her body heat rise. It was an unfamiliar feeling, one that was soon followed by a sensation of reciprocation. The embarrassment on his face spoke more than the words that came out of his mouth next.

“It just does, okay?” Junpei stood up, slowly regaining his balance. He wobbled for a second and looked down at Chidori who was now looking up at him expectantly. For a beat, they simply stared at each other. In any other situation, Junpei would have heckled her for staring but coming down from a drunken stupor must have dulled his mood.

“I’m not like that. I don’t need this.” Junpei mused as he broke off the trance by staring off into the distance, scanning for the old flask. He ran out to retrieve it and sat back down next to Chidori.

“Chidori, you’re right. I’m sorry I lied to you.” Chidori received the flask as he handed it her. Empty, droplets or vodka circled the mouthpiece and dripping onto her palm. She shook it off her hand on her side, slyly trying to hide her disgust.

“Apology accepted.” a faint smile was dragged across her face. Chidori then stood up and walked to the other side of the plaza, near the flower bed. She looked back to Junpei’s figure in the dark. His outline barely visible, she squinted - keeping sure that he was far away from her for that moment. Then, without hesitation she threw it off - far off beyond the flowerbed or any of the greenery that decorated the station area. Junpei came running back to her, frantic.

“He-ee-y! Why’d you do that?!”

 

 

  
  
  
  
  
A nearby lamp post flickered on.

**Author's Note:**

> First attempt at Jundori for my husband's birthday! Love you, honey!


End file.
